Stretching apparatus for leather or the like.



I. H. ELLSWORTH. STRETUHING APPARATUS FOR LEATHER OR THE LIKE.APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1911.

1,053,978, Patented Feb.25,1913.

WZTNEESEE' COLUMBIA PIANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. n4 :4

UNITED STATES PATENT @EFTQE.

IRVING H. ELLSWOBTH, OF OAK HARBOR, OHIO.

STRETCHING APPARATUS FOR LEATHER OR THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRVING H. ELLswoRTH, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Oak Harbor, in thecounty of Ottawa and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new anduseful Stretching Apparatus for Leather or the Like; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to stretching apparatus for leather or the like,and while it has particular reference to the needs of the harness tradefor stretching trace leather, so that all plies of a trace will haveequal elasticity, it is not restricted to such use as it may be used forany purpose for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

The object of my invention is the provision of an improved and highlyefficient apparatus of this character, which is simple and inexpensiveof manufacture, strong and durable in its construction and capable ofbeing easily and quickly operated to firmly clamp a strip of leather orother material to be stretched.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, andwhile, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerousforms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,-

Figure l is a top plan view of an apparatus comprising my invention witha part broken away and a strip of leather engaged thereby. Fig. 2 is aside elevation thereof with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlargedcross section 011 the linear: :0 in Fig. 2, and Figs. & and 5 aresections respectively on the lines 10 w and y 3 in Fig. 3, with theclamp of the latter open.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a bench or table upon which thearticle clamping devices comprising the main features of the inventionare mounted. These devices, in the present instance, comprise the fixedclamp A, which is bolted or otherwise securely anchored to one end ofthe table 1, with its clamping surface or bottom preferably disposed atsubstantially a forty-five degree angle, and the movable clamp B,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 24, 1911.

Patented Feb. 25,1913.

Serial No. 616,997.

which is mounted for sliding movements longitudinally of the table.

The clamps A and B which are substantially the same in construction,each comprises a base member 2, which forms the lower clamping member orjaw of the device and has bearing lugs or standards 3, 3 rising from theends thereof vadjacent to its inner or front edge, as shown. A shaft 3parallels the clamping surface of the base member 2 and has its endsmounted in the standards 3, and this shaft carries the movable clampingmember or jaw 4. The jaw has a preferably serrated or toothed edge 4 forcoacting with the member 2, which edge is disposed to coact with saidmember at a point to the rear of a plane which cuts the axis of theshaft 4 at right angles to the top surface of the member 2, orsubstantially so, as indicated, whereby a pulling strain upon an engagedarticle will tend to tighten the gripping action thereon of the clampmembers.

An arm 5 rises from one end of the jaw 4: and preferably extendsrearwardly there from when the jaw is in clamped position, as shown inFig. 2, and has a clamping lever 6 fulcrumed to its free end portion.This lever has a long arm forming the handle portion thereof and, ashort arm, the free end of which latter is attached to a coiledexpansion spring '7, which is anchored at its other end to a lug orstandard 8 rising from the rear portion of the associated end of thebase' member 2.

\Vhen the handle of the lever 6 is thrown forwardly as shown in Fig. 5,the spring 7, when it is contracted to its normal state, serves as afulcrum for the inner end of the lever and cooperates with the lever toswing the clamping jaw 4 on its axis to unclamped position whereby torelease an engaged article. Upon a clamping movement of the lever 6 theinner end thereof swings down wardly and moves the jaw l to clampingposition before the pivot 6 begins to act as the lever fulcrum afterwhich, upon a continued clamping movement of the lever, the spring isexpanded so as to effect a yielding clamping action of the two clampedmembers, the expansion of the spring depending upon the thickness of thearticle clamped. The lever 6 has its short arm preferably slightlyangled relative to the long arm thereof so that when parts are inclamped position the spring will act on the lever in a manner to tend tohold the parts in such position as is apparent by reference to Fig. 2.

In order to facilitate a gripping of an article, the inner or front edgeof the base member 2 is provided with a ridge or shoulder 9 in advanceof the point of grip of the two clamped members as best indicated inFig. at, so that the article is elevated above the line where thearticle is clamped. The same action is accomplished in the fixed clamp Aby reason of the inclination of the base member thereof which disposesthe upper edge of such member above the point of bight of the clamp. Thebase member 2 of the movable clamp A is provided at its ends withdepending flanges 10, which coact with the sides of the table to guidethe movements of the clamp thereon.

lVhen a strip of leather or other material C has been engaged by therespective clamps, a stretching of the same is accomplished by a turningof the hand wheel 11, which is threaded onto the screw 12, which latteris connected by a chain 13 or other suitable means to the outer side ofthe base member 2 of the clamp B. The screw 12 passes out-- wardlythrough an apertured plate or standard 14E, rising from the adjacent endof the table 1, and such plate serves to receive the inner thrust of thehub of the wheel 11.

In practice my improved stretching device has prdven very satisfactoryand the construction of the clamping members of the salne are such as torender them easily and quickly operable to clamp or release an articleand when clamped to the same to firmly grip it to prevent adisengagement thereof.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specificconstruction or arrangement of the parts except in so far as suchlimitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a basemember, a jaw carried by said member and movable to cooperate with saidmember to grip an interposed article, a control lever fulcrumed to saidjaw with its axis substantially parallel to the jaw axis, and yieldingmeans fixedly anchored at one end relative to the base member andattached to and cooperating with said lever to yieldingly hold the jawin clamped position or to move it to unclamped position.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp having a base member,a movable clamping member pivotally attached to said base member andhaving a laterally projecting arm, a lever pivoted intermediate its endsto said arm with the axis of the lever pivoted in substantialparallelism with the pivot of said members, and yielding means anchoredto said base-member and cooperating with said movable member toyieldingly hold it in clamping position relative to the base member andadapted to cooperate with the lever to relatively move the clampingmembers to released position.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a baseclamping member and a clamping aw oscillatingly carried by said basemember and having a laterally projecting arm, a lever fulcrumed to saidarm, and a coiled expansion spring anchored at one end to said basemember and having its other end attached to a part of said lever, saidlever and spring being adapted to cooperate to yieldingly hold the jawin clamped position relative to the base member and to move the jaw toreleased position, the spring serving as a fulcrum for the lever duringportions of the jaw clamping and releasing movements.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a basemember having upstanding lugs, a jaw pivotally carried by said lugs andmovable to cooperate with the base member to grip an article, said jawhaving a laterally projecting arm, a lever fulcrumed intermediate itsends to said arm, a coiled expansion spring anchored at one end. to saidbase member and having its other end attached to an end of said leverand adapted to cooperate with the lever to yieldingly hold the jaw inclamped position or to move the jaw to released position.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a clamp comprising a pair ofjaws, one being movable relative to the other. a lever pivotallyattached to the movable jaw with the axis of its pivot in substantialparallelism with the axis of the jaw pivot, a contractile springattached at one end to the lever and having its other end anchoredrelative to the fixed jaw, said lever and spring being capable ofcoiiperating to yieldingly move the movable jaw to clamping position andyieldingly retain it in such position or to move it to open position.

6. In combination, a pair of clamping jaws mounted for relative pivotalmovements, a control lever pivoted to one jaw in spaced relation to thepivot of the jaws, said lever and jaw being capable of angular movementsin parallel planes, and a member attached to one end of the lever andyieldingly connecting it to a part which is fixed relative to the otherjaw of the pair and capable of cooperating with the lever to im; partrelative clamping and releasing move ments to the jaws.

7. In combination, a pair of clamping jaws mounted for relative pivotalmovements, one jaw having a laterally projecting arm, a control leverpivoted between its ends to said arm for parallel angular movementsrelative thereto, and a contractile spring attached at one end to oneend oi said lever and having its other end fixed relative to one of saidclamping jaws and operable through the lever upon the lever carrying jawto yieldingly retain it in various positions relative to the other jaw,the arm of the lever opposed to that to which the spring is attachedserving as an operating member.

8.111 combination, a pair of clamping jaws mounted for relative pivotalmove ments, a contractile spring fixed at one end relative to one ofsaid jaws, and means connectlng the other end of said spring to theother of sald aws and movable in parallel relation to the pivotalmovements of the jaws to cooperate with the spring to retain the jaws inyielding clamping engagement In witness whereof, I have hereunto signedmy name to this specification in the presence of two subscribingWitnesses.

IRVING H. ELLSVVORTH. Witnesses GEORGE F. HUNTRESS, GEO. C.RosENsTRnTER.

Copies of Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

